


Once Bitten

by still_lycoris



Category: Skins (UK)
Genre: Bugs & Insects, Community: hc_bingo, Friendship, Gen, Manipulation, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 09:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8323276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: Sid never wanted to go camping in the first place.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the hc_bingo prompt "bites"

Sid sat as far away from the others as he could without actually being out of sight of them (it was dark, he didn’t want to get lost and it would be just his luck to _get_ lost) and tried not to scratch.

This was a shit night. A _shit_ night. Why had he let Tony talk him into going camping? He didn’t _like_ camping and he didn’t like camping with people he didn’t really know and he didn’t like people laughing at him when his stuff fell in the river and everybody had laughed and he didn’t like getting bitten by every mosquito that existed in the fucking world.

And he hated that Tony had laughed at him.

Tony laughed at him a lot these days. Well, okay, Tony had always laughed at him quite a lot but that was Tony, wasn’t it? It wasn’t _mean_ when it was Tony, Tony laughed at everyone because, well, everyone was a bit stupid compared to Tony. Tony was never confused at school, he always understood everything and he’d often help stuff make sense was Sid’s head was all messed up. It was okay that Tony was cleverer than him, that didn’t mean they weren’t friends cause ... well, Tony liked Sid. So they were friends.

But when he’d slipped and gone in the river, Tony had just stood there laughing and shaking his head, like Sid was so fucking stupid that it was totally worthless being anywhere near him. Like Sid was an _embarrassment_. Which, okay, maybe he was, maybe he was just useless and sad like everyone said, even his own Dad thought he was a loser ...

“Hey.”

He looked up to see Tony standing over him, lips twisted in one of those grins that was almost always on his lips these days. Sid looked away, knowing he was pouting, pouting like a fucking girl.

“Ah, come on, don’t be like that,” Tony said. He prodded Sid’s hip with his foot. “Are you going to sit here all night?”

“Yes,” Sid said. “I like the dark. Dark is cool.”

“Oh Jesus, you’re not going to go all goth, are you? We can’t be friends if you’re a goth.”

“I’m not a fucking goth!” Sid snapped. He scratched his shoulder, forgetting that he was supposed to be leaving them alone.

“You might go goth,” Tony said, nudging Sid with his foot again. “I could see it. With the faggy eyeliner and black lippie. Effy would help you out. Actually, it might improve your looks.”

“Fuck _off_ , Tone!”

He scratched harder, cringing. Now all of his body was itching, _again_ and it was so annoying, he just wanted to roll around like a dog and see if it made him feel better. Fucking mosquitoes, fucking shitty camping shit ...

“Come on,” Tony said and his voice was almost fond. “Let’s get some cream on those, yeah?”

“What?”

“Come _on_. You’ll end up ripping all your skin off, mate.”

Tony turned and walked back towards his tent. He didn’t wait for Sid to follow or look back or anything, just walked away like he expected to be followed. Which he probably did because it was Tony and Sid always followed Tony, didn’t he?

What would happen if he didn’t this time?

Well, he’d have to sit out here all on his own and itch and itch until he wished he was dead. Probably it wasn’t the time to buck a trend.

He got up and followed Tony, scratching his arms as he did. A couple of the other guys looked at him but they didn’t say anything or laugh again. It was like being with Tony instantly offered protection. 

By the time he got into Tony’s tent, Tony was already sitting cross-legged in the tent, holding a tube of something in his hands. 

“Get your shirt off then,” he said, as though that was a totally normal thing to say. Sid obeyed, feeling a bit stupid, although he felt also felt a weird sense of pride when Tony gave an admiring whistle.

“They’ve really gone for you, haven’t they? You must have attractive blood. Some people have this smell that makes bugs want to bite them more.”

Only Tony could somehow make it sound like a compliment that bugs wanted to bite him. Sid tried to keep frowning but it was a bit difficult. Tony was squeezing cream on his hands now and rubbing them together, like he did this every day. Which he might, Tony did all sorts of weird shit, that was one of the things that made him Tony.

“You’re still pouting,” Tony said and began rubbing the cream on. Sid had to bite back a little groan of relief. It felt so much _better_ , the itching was fading immediately. Tony continued to rub him with brisk hands that felt surprisingly warm – or maybe it was just that Sid had got really cold.

“Cheer up,” Tony said, still rubbing. “What did you go storming off like that for anyway?”

“Because you laughed!”

“Well, you looked a prize idiot. Of course I laughed.”

“You're supposed to be my best friend.”

“I _am_ your best friend. But I'll still laugh if you look like a twat. Have you got more of these on your shoulders? Hold still then.”

Sid didn't feel that he could say anything. Tony always managed to make everything sound like it made sense but it was kind of depressing when he heard stuff like that. 

Sometimes, it was hard being best friends with Tony.

“There you go!” Tony said cheerfully. “All creamed up. You'd better share with me tonight, all your stuff is fucked. It's cool, we can both fit in my sleeping bag if we squish up a bit.”

“Are you sure?” Sid asked, grabbing the T-shirt that Tony was offering him. “Won't the others, you know, say that we're gay or something?”

“Oh, who cares what they think, they're all fucking idiots anyway,” Tony said casually, beginning to strip out of his clothes. “You're my best friend, Sid. I'm not gonna let you sleep in the cold.”

Sid sighed. This was why he was friends with Tony. Because Tony was … _Tony_. Because when he came through for you, he really did.

Tony got into the sleeping bag and made space. When Sid crawled in with him, he pulled him close, like that that was normal and put his chin on Sid's shoulder, almost like a cuddle.

“Night Sid,” he said, like all this was the most normal thing in the world. 

Sid closed his eyes, finally feeling properly warm again.

Being Tony’s best friend wasn’t always so bad.


End file.
